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Economy & Business

Kaja Kallas

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

The move marks a major economic step for Syria's recovery after its 13-year civil war and the fall of the Assad regime.

CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images

China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

The establishment of an entity seeking to control maritime transportation in the Strait of Hormuz is the latest sign that Iran wants to formalize authority in the strategic waterway.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks in Beirut on Dec. 19, 2025.

Egypt ramps up energy investments amid war-driven price pressures

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Wednesday that Egypt has secured commitments exceeding $19 billion from international oil companies over the next three years.

Latest News

Few ships pass Hormuz despite US efforts to break Iran's hold

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran strikes UAE’s Fujairah oil hub as US pushes Hormuz reopening

Meysam MIRZADEH / TASNIM NEWS / AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

A Russian flag raised at the Russia Embassy in Washington, DC, April 15, 2021.

US sanctions UAE, Turkey, China firms for allegedly aiding Russia in Ukraine

The move targets the development of Russia’s defense and technology sectors and aims to weaken it in its war against Ukraine.

United Arab Emirates

One-hundred Turkish lira notes on display at a currency exchange in Kuwait City, August 12, 2018.

Turkey’s inflation slightly eases in October, remains above 60%

Following three months of increases, Turkey’s year-on-year inflation slightly eased last month.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Turkey raises year-end inflation forecast to 65%, amid economic headwinds

The projection has been raised from 58% in July due to weakening global economic activity and oil volatility.

An elderly woman stands with an Israeli flag next to another holding a sign showing the faces of young Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants since the October 7 attack near Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's economic rebound hinges on a limited conflict

A long war with Hamas followed by a re-occupation of Gaza would send Israel into recession and have long-term effects on foreign investment, the government’s fiscal position, and consumer and business confidence.

David Rosenberg

David Rosenberg

In Tel Aviv, reporting on business and tech

Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 president, speaks at the Plaza Hotel, New York City, Sept. 19, 2023.

COP28 host UAE, EU and US call for agreement to triple renewables by 2030

Barbados, Chile, Kenya, Micronesia, the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency also support the move.

United Arab Emirates

QatarEnergy

Saudi Aramco, QatarEnergy, UAE’s Emirates among Fortune Arabia top 10

The list of 500 companies from 22 Arab countries posted around $1.6 trillion in revenues in 2022, yielding a net profit of $343 billion.

Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's oil cuts weigh heavy on economy, GDP tanks by 4.5%

The kingdom's economy shrunk by the most since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 due to energy measures.

TABA, EGYPT: Beach resorts close to the Egyptian Taba Hilton (background-R) remain empty 11 October 2004, four days after three attacks targeted this well-known hotel in the Sinai peninsula next to the Israeli border and another two minor resorts, killing at least 32 people and causing the exodus of thousands of Israeli tourists from the area called the Egyptian Riviera. Israel's resort of Eilat, close to the border with Egypt, is set for a boom as thousands of Israelis who regularly holiday in Sinai look e

Tourism tipping point: Middle East travel boom delivering economic boost as Israel-Hamas war threatens recovery

The outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 has undercut a fledgling tourism rebound in the Holy Land after years of struggle.

Fans of Saudi Arabia pose with national flags on the stands ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group C football match between Saudi Arabia and Mexico at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, north of Doha on Nov. 30, 2022.

Saudi Arabia set to host 2034 World Cup after Australia withdraws

The kingdom is heavily investing in soccer, golf, MMA and other sports across the world.

INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images

Gaza war could double oil prices, threaten global food security

Washington-based multilateral lender World Bank compared the situation to the 1973 Arab oil embargo in its latest Commodities Market Outlook.

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the northern coastal beach of Nasholim, Israel, Aug. 29, 2022.

Israel hands out gas concessions to BP, ENI as Gaza war drags on

Israel is determined to project a "business as usual" stance despite the conflict with Hamas claiming the lives of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians.

Saudi women

Saudi Arabia explores women’s buying power with 30% entering work force

To expand its own economy, Saudi Arabia is joining a global structural shift toward multiple-wage households as women move into more and more careers that used to be off-limits.